The emphasis on “Law and Order” may or may not work in national politics but Republicans on the local level should embrace this theme with enthusiasm.

The upsurge in transients who spend the night in parks, under freeway overpasses, or sleeping on sidewalks afflicts cities in every corner of the country and almost always violates laws against vagrancy, or camping out on public property. Police should enforce those laws with regular sweeps, assigning the homeless to private and public shelters which, in many cities, have available beds that go unused. By allowing clear violation of current laws and standards of decency, local authorities encourage more homelessness, which harms businesses, precious parkland and the homeless themselves.

While statistics show that many cities have escaped a recent increase in violent crime, nearly all communities in Obama’s America have suffered from the devastating increase in street people.

Comments (2)

I just received a survey in the mail from our county commissioners. Asking:"What would be most effective in ending homelessness in Kittitas County WA?" and "What would be most effective in creating mote affordable housing in Kittitas County WA?".
I know Michael has talked about homelessness and how to stop it. Could you please send me what his advise is on this subject.

My advice on how to reduce homelessness in Kittitas County is to buy them a bus ticket to Seattle, where they are going out of their way to coddle the street people and homeless. All the Microsoft, Starbucks, and Amazon millionaires in Seattle (the 1%) can afford to support the indigent, alcoholic, mentally ill and drug addicted that form the majority of our homeless population. The farmers, ranchers, and blue collar workers of Kittitas county probably can't afford to do much for the homeless without creating an incentive for more homeless to show up on the door step – it becomes a vicious cycle.